MLB Player News

Sanchez said Sunday that he spent the winter focusing on improving his flexibility, which he believes will help him from a defensive standpoint, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

After a dominant showing at the dish in his two-month stint with the big club as a rookie in 2016, Sanchez erased any doubt that he's one of the majors' premier offensive talents at catcher during his first full season in pinstripes, finishing with a .278/.345/.531 line to go with 33 home runs, 90 RBI and 79 runs. He again shapes up as an elite fantasy option at his position in 2018, though Sanchez will likely need to make more strides defensively in order to stick behind the plate permanently. For what it's worth, new Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that he's been pleased with the defensive form Sanchez has shown in the early stages of camp drills, but the 25-year-old will need to do a better job of curbing passed balls in the games that count before his skeptics are silenced.

Rupp is expected to compete with Andrew Knapp for Philadelphia's backup catching role, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Rupp showed great power in 2017 with 14 home runs and 34 RBI, but struggled to hit for average -- he slashed .217/.299/.417 in 295 at-bats. He'll need to show he's capable behind the dish during spring training and continue to display power at the plate if he hopes to beat out Knapp. Both catchers have minor-league options remaining, so either player could begin the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Stassi is looking to claim the final available roster spot for the Astros, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

With little drama in spring training for the World Series champs, we're left watching the one available spot for a position player. Does manager A.J. Hinch keep a third catcher, like Stassi, or an extra infielder/outfielder, such as Tyler White or Tony Kemp? Stassi's out of options, so he'll need to clear waivers if Houston wants him at Triple-A Fresno. That gives him an edge, but Hinch would feel more comfortable if Stassi continues to hit as he did in 2017 for the Grizzlies (12 HR, .856 OPS). Having a third catcher on the roster allows Hinch the flexibility to deploy Evan Gattis as the designated hitter, but it all comes down to Stassi's offense.

Garver enters spring training as the leading candidate to win the backup catcher role behind starter Jason Castro with last year's backup Chris Gimenez signing with the Cubs in free agency, MLB.com reports.

He'll compete against Bobby Wilson and Willians Astudill for the backup catcher role, but the job is his to lose after a breakout season at Triple-A, where he hit 17 home runs with a .928 OPS. Garver will need to show he can hold his own with his defense. If he wins the job, he could get more at-bats than Gimenez had last year since he's both a right-handed hitter (Castro is a lefty) and can play first base or the outfield in a pinch.

Mesoraco (foot) enters spring training fully recovered from the broken foot that forced him to miss the end of the 2017 season, the Cincinnati Enquirer's Zach Buchanan reports.

Mesoraco is in the walk year of his contract, one that he has been injured for nearly the bulk of it. He'll enter this season as the backup behind Tucker Barnhart, however, and won't initially get much regular playing time.

Mets manager Mickey Callaway said Tuesday that Plawecki will compete with Travis d'Arnaud for playing time behind the plate this spring, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

D'Arnaud is the incumbent No. 1 backstop, but his hold on the top spot on the depth chart likely slipped after Plawecki slashed .303/.411/.474 after the All-Star break last season. To his credit, d'Arnaud also picked up the pace offensively in the second half and offers more power upside than Plawecki, who counts plate discipline as his top skill. Callaway wouldn't reveal his plans for how he plans on divvying out the workload at catcher, but it's likely that a timeshare that slightly favors d'Arnaud will be in place as long as both backstops are healthy and performing well at the dish.

Manager Dave Roberts stated that Barnes will split time with Yasmani Grandal in 2018, although Grandal will likely see a majority of at-bats against right-handed pitching, Andy McCullough of The Los Angeles Times reports.

In a surprising move, it appears as though Grandal will be the primary option behind the plate heading into this season. It was clear that Barnes surpassed Grandal in the postseason, and hit .289/.408/.486 with eight home runs and 38 RBI over 102 games during the regular season. In the event that Grandal struggles out of the gate, expect Barnes to see an expanded role much like he did last fall. Continue to monitor this situation throughout the spring.

Grandal is set to split time with Austin Barnes at the catcher position in 2018, although the former will likely receive a majority of the at-bats against right-handed pitching, according to manager Dave Roberts, Andy McCullough of The Los Angeles Times reports.

It appears as though Grandal will officially begin the season atop the Dodgers' depth chart after being supplanted by Barnes in the postseason. Grandal was the primary backstop in 2017, slashing .247/.308/.459 with 22 home runs and 58 RBI. This will be a situation to monitor throughout spring training and it wouldn't be surprising at all if Barnes surpasses Grandal early on this year.

Hedges worked with assistant hitting coach Johnny Washington during the offseason to adjust his swing, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

The defensive whiz struggled a bit at the plate last year, posting just a .214 batting average. Given that, it's not surprising his primary focus this winter was hitting. Reports say he hasn't removed the leg kick from his swing, so the alterations hopefully won't sap the power that helped him hit 18 homers in 2017. The new plate approach is geared more toward making contact and having better patience, although the new swing hasn't actually been seen yet. The fantasy implications of this adjustment should become apparent once Hedges employs his new swing in Cactus League action.

Stewart signed a one-year major-league contract with the Braves on Wednesday.

The 11-year veteran has played for six teams in his major-league career. The journeyman backup has only once received more than 190 plate appearances. He'll begin the season as the Braves' third catcher behind Tyler Flowers and Kurt Suzuki, though his major-league contract means he has a good chance to be the first catcher called upon in the event of an injury.